Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Specmaster]

My Sorensen PSU came from that seller, I originally bought the Xantrex version from him which was buggered (no output), it got returned, thankfully he had the working Sorensen replacement as these PSU's are usually overpriced from other sellers. Note that none of the items are tested beyond a power up check.

The yard he keeps his stock in is just a place with many rented industrial units & containers, which are pretty common everywhere these days. I certainly couldn't work out which unit on the site my returned item went back to.

By the way that seller has as least one other ePay account which I've bought a few things from in the past, including a box of broken glass (ex-lamps). 

He also sold that pricey faulty looking Tek curve tracer a few weeks back and now has another listed with the same pictures, that's something I noticed with the PSU I bought which also had reused pictures.

David

I've also brought bits from similar sellers with the same storage units with no major problems, including 2 Solartrons 7150plus's from an auction house operating out of a huge converted barn. Its not as if they have stored in such conditions for years unlike a lot of things you find on eBay that been discovered in old sheds, barns and garages after years of outside unheated and possibly leaky roofs to boot.

[Neomys Sapiens]

Did anyone round here grab that TekMeter THM565 with AC/DC-clamp in UK for 134.- on the 28th?
If so, congratulations - and might your batteries always leak!

Dang, after playing with the THM560 a bit, I decided the upgrade would be useful - and it had this RS-232 adaptor, which I am missing.

Otherwise, not much success on the TEA front. I managed to get one of those USB-charged electrical miniature screwdrivers for 4mm bits. I am curious whether it is a tool or a toy.

With preexisting conditions, it feels like zombie apocalypse out there. And it does not help that a lot of people are spending more time at home, because they can bid for stuff. I'm saving on commuting, but that could be true for them too. At least work goes smoothly, as I was doing as much home office as possible already before CoVid and our company is well prepared for that.

[bd139]

Ok got to play with the UT210E finally. After RTFM it’s surprisingly accurate on the bench! 1-2 counts out from the Flukes on DC current. I don’t have an AC test setup. Colour me impressed. Only negative is the continuity is just total shit but that’s always true on Uni-T meters.

[Specmaster]

Ok got to play with the UT210E finally. After RTFM it’s surprisingly accurate on the bench! 1-2 counts out from the Flukes on DC current. I don’t have an AC test setup. Colour me impressed. Only negative is the continuity is just total shit but that’s always true on Uni-T meters.

Yes, thats the same finding as most of us who have one, has found. For the money they are a bit of a bargain but certainly no substitute for a decent bench or handheld meter but are wonderful at quick tests, an ideal tool to slip in your pocket if your going to be doing some work away from the bench and that DC current clamp is a real boon to have and saves so much time when measuring current providing you can get the particular wire into the jaws.

[mansaxel]

Yes... however, these things can and must be quantized; preferably in units of 53L or less.  

Being yoorpean, I'm a bit more modest. My quantificator is 32 litres. I have a few that are 50 litres as well as some 15 litre boxes as well, but the Model 31 is the most common.

[Cerebus]

Submitted for your approval...

It looks like a replacement prosthetic for Abu Hamza 

I'm going with "Borg implant".

[Messtechniker]

Feeling pretty normal other than coughing up dead bits of me 

In Germany we call this "Würfelhusten" i.e. "coughing up dice" 

[Saskia]

just make sure those bits are dead.

Rebuilding RAID. Aw Gawd. 20 TB Resync. Waiting for the RAID, waiting for the RAID, waiting for the raid ...

Starting efforts to get the Willem gizmo to work. Found a couple of bits and pieces (case, hdd, RAM, DVD) to build a computer out of my bench test/repair board. So this will most likely develop into an AMD based A8 izmo with 4GB of RAM running a fresh installation of XP. Has the advantage of being able to play Civilization while burning Eproms.

[tggzzz]

Has the advantage of being able to play Civilization while burning Eproms.

I prefer Transport Tycoon Deluxe, the open clone of Transport Tycoon.

Superb playability for a God Game. Addictive.

[grizewald]

Can you give me a good deal on a Datron 1281/1271?

Eh, no 8,5's inbound, sorry. Actually have a HP3458 'Project' on the bench, but that's a loooooong way from being finished and it will be, uhm, perhaps slightly more expensive.

That's an interesting new euphemism for "several orders of magnitude more expensive"!

 

[Ice-Tea]

TT Deluxe is the normal version I think.

You.re thinking of OTTD or Open Transport Tycoon Deluxe

[Ice-Tea]

Can you give me a good deal on a Datron 1281/1271?

Eh, no 8,5's inbound, sorry. Actually have a HP3458 'Project' on the bench, but that's a loooooong way from being finished and it will be, uhm, perhaps slightly more expensive.

That's an interesting new euphemism for "several orders of magnitude more expensive"!

 

Well , yeah, 10 times or so

[factory]

Did anyone round here grab that TekMeter THM565 with AC/DC-clamp in UK for 134.- on the 28th?
If so, congratulations - and might your batteries always leak!

Dang, after playing with the THM560 a bit, I decided the upgrade would be useful - and it had this RS-232 adaptor, which I am missing.

That looks similar to the Tek/Mac Tools Quick Scope, does the Tek THM560/565 suffer from leaking SMD capacitors too?



David

[AVGresponding]

Otherwise, not much success on the TEA front. I managed to get one of those USB-charged electrical miniature screwdrivers for 4mm bits. I am curious whether it is a tool or a toy.

I suspect the latter, even if sporting a premium brand name.

That Wiha one Dave got sent is absolute trash. I use my DeWalt impactor on low power setting if I have a really long screw, or multiple screws on TE, and before anyone starts screaming at me, the low power setting is very low power, and with a variable trigger, very controllable.
For removing screws, middle setting works well, and runs about 50x faster than that Wiha...


Gaaahh... frustration time. Can't find any decently chunky heatsinks to take 5 or so TO3s. All the big ones I have are for TO220/247 etc.
Might have to fabricobble something, maybe some aluminium angle bracket if I have some the right size. Mount the TO3s on that and then mount that to a big sink. I have one designed to take a 120mm fan SOMEWHERE   

[tggzzz]

TT Deluxe is the normal version I think.

You.re thinking of OTTD or Open Transport Tycoon Deluxe

Quite right. A brain fart on my part.

I also ought to go back and play Harpoon again. IIRC that works in WINE.

[Brumby]

Was that tiny thump I just felt under my keister Brumby's head exploding...?   

mnem
*scratch-scratch-scratch*

NOW!

A box just arrived.   

[grizewald]

My Sorensen PSU came from that seller...

I've also brought bits from similar sellers with the same storage units with no major problems,

The phrase 'caveat emptor' always applies of course. I was upset with the 7075 because the damage was on the bottom of the unit and conveniently on the one face that was not photographed in the listing. There was no way I could have known and certainly wouldn't even have considered buying it if they'd shown the damage to start with. On the other hand, I bought the 5334A from him because the photos showed no dents, scratches or hints of rust anywhere and it looked clean apart from a mass of calibration stickers. Luckily for me I got a good unit which works well and cleaned up nicely.
In the end though, it's pot luck with this kind of seller. In essence, he's an electronic scrap merchant and has little knowledge about most of what he's selling. You may get lucky or you might end up with something BER.

Like TiN's first 3458A.  It probably cost him more to fix it than it would to have bought one in good working condition second hand!

[Neomys Sapiens]

Did anyone round here grab that TekMeter THM565 with AC/DC-clamp in UK for 134.- on the 28th?
If so, congratulations - and might your batteries always leak!

Dang, after playing with the THM560 a bit, I decided the upgrade would be useful - and it had this RS-232 adaptor, which I am missing.

That looks similar to the Tek/Mac Tools Quick Scope, does the Tek THM560/565 suffer from leaking SMD capacitors too?



David

Looks very similar indeed. But I do not know whether it is equivalent to a THM560 or a THM565. And I can't say anything about the capacitors, as I did not open mine yet.
The difference between the THM560 and the THM565 is that the 565 can work with variable AC drives, can apply Time/Date-stamping, has more memory and a backlight. The THM550 was a single channel model.

[Specmaster]

Quick 4503 update, Hermes are now showing this as currently being at my local depot, Thurrock, which normally once it arrives there is sent out for delivery with my local Hermes delivery agent the following day. The expected delivery date is Thursday or Friday, so lets see what happens in the morning when they update the tracking. If they do delivery it tomorrow, despite the notice on the tracking site about deliveries may be slow due the current conditions, I'll be impressed with the speed. 

[AVGresponding]

@bd139, I can only apologise for not leaving feedback sooner!

I thought I'd cleared it the other day, yours must have been on another page that I didn't notice or something   


Public service announcement: Do not buy wire wool from this ebay seller : https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/only_wire_wool?_trksid=p2047675.l2559

They sell it by the metre, but I have to say, you'd almost have to unravel the strands and lay them in a row to meet the description.
This is what they laughably refer to as 2 metres:

I don't have scales sensitive enough to measure the weight, but I'd estimate it at 75-100 grams, 3 or 4 ounces.
I'm deciding how to word the complaint.

[Kosmic]

Well look like I'm also a lucky winner. I started coughing today, then muscle pain and chest pain. Now I got a fever.

Really frustrating since I was home for the last 2.5 weeks, only went out once for grocery. And got food deliver once. 

[xrunner]

Well look like I'm also a lucky winner. I started coughing today, then muscle pain and chest pain. Now I got a fever.

Really frustrating since I was home for the last 2.5 weeks, only went out once for grocery. And got food deliver once. 

Wow sorry to hear that. You got no clue how you contracted it? Maybe from things you touched from a store? 

[Kosmic]

Well look like I'm also a lucky winner. I started coughing today, then muscle pain and chest pain. Now I got a fever.

Really frustrating since I was home for the last 2.5 weeks, only went out once for grocery. And got food deliver once. 

Wow sorry to hear that. You got no clue how you contracted it? Maybe from things you touched from a store? 

I'm pretty sure I didn't touch my face and washed my hands with Hand sanitizer once I was in the car and washed again once I got home. So it was the delivery guy (and I was wearing gloves) or one of the kids got it and she is asymptomatic. 

But I should be fine though, I'm in an age bracket where the risk is minimal.

[beanflying]

Bugga  I think I will keep sticking to home brew Junk Food rather than some sweaty Cook and Delivery driver coughing over it.

Speaking of which leftover Lamb Souvlaki meat and Salad on a Roll for Lunch and another Coffee while watching some boring TEA 

author=Brumby link=topic=81471.msg2992704#msg2992704 date=1585692885]

NOW!

A box just arrived.   

Stop doing jobs for SHMBO and get to opening it already 

[Specmaster]

Well look like I'm also a lucky winner. I started coughing today, then muscle pain and chest pain. Now I got a fever.

Really frustrating since I was home for the last 2.5 weeks, only went out once for grocery. And got food deliver once. 

Shit, that not good, have you got children that still going to school? If so then that is more than likely were you got it from. I wish good luck and hope that you have good result and that your recovery is a speedy one.